Something Unexpected
by SkylessStar
Summary: After he saves her by chance, things begin to be different between Kouga and Sango. Written for 30Kisses community on LJ.
1. Destiny is a moment's distraction

**Something Unexpected**  
**Chapter 01 - Destiny is a moment's distraction**  
by **Skyless_star**

**Disclaimer**: The Manga and the anime 'InuYasha', as well as the characters involved, had been created by **Rumiko Takahashi**.  
I don't own them, nor I do profit from this story.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Something Unexpected - Chapter 1 - Destiny's a moment's distraction**

**Written for 30Kisses, theme #15 "Perfect Blue"**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Sango, what blue should I use for the sky?" Asked Shippo, that was drawing. "This light one, this other darker, this... how did Kagome call it?... 'turquoise'..."

Sango looked at the pencils; without thinking twice, she choosed. "Turquoise. I like it better than the others."

Shippo nodded and begun colouring the sky. Sango's mind begun to drift back to the events that made her choose that particular color.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Sango checked for the n-th time that Miroku wasn't spying them, before finally giving Kagome the OK for the bath. It was a bad habit of him that she really couldn't stand, but it seemed that, at least, Shippo had enough tact to stay behind and keep an eye on the monk. She was grateful for that, even though she liked bathing with the little kitsune; it reminded her of when she, her brother and her father used to bath together, when she was still young.

Sango turned to the river; they were near a little fall, so the water was a little too wild for a bath. Luckily, however, they'd found a little bend with calmer water, and if they'd pay a little attention, there wouldn't be any danger. Kagome was already in the water, and Sango decided to waste no more time worring about the pervert monk. While she was removing her clothes, she noticed a trunk in the river. She looked back to Kagome, who had gone a little too far into the river, then back to the trunk. The way it was going, it will surely hit her.

"KAGOME!" she screamed, but the other girl had just dived into the river. Sango immediately launched herself in the river and, fighting the resistance her half undone kimono made in the flow, she managed to grab Kagome's arm and push her toward the bench. In the process, she slid and fell underwater, not able to move agily as usual because her clothes were heavy in the water. In a moment, the trunk arrived and hit her on the back. Her vision filled with black.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Ar. ..u su.. ..r'e ...ng it ...ht?"

"SH.. .P!"

Voices. Distant voices that spoke something unintellegible.

'Pffff.'

Something warm touched her somewhere. Air seemed to invade her.

"You should try again."

The voices became clearer; thought, she still couldn't understand what they were talking about.

'Pffff.'

More air, another touch. This time, she could understand it was something near her face. No; it was right on her face. It was on her mouth.

"I think I saw her move."

These were male voices. But what was happening, exactly? Sango forced herself to open her eyes, but what she could see was mostly black, the only light was on her peripherical vision; or maybe she was dreaming.

'Pffff.'

Air again. This time, it felt like she was going to explode. She began to cough violently, spitting water without control, unable to avoid whoever was in front of her.

"Oh, damn. I knew it would end up this way."

It was a known voice. With some efforts, she opened her eyes again. This time, she saw something turquoise. It must be the sky. But it was darker than the sky. Focusing on what she was looking, she recognized they were a pair of eyes. A beautiful pair of eyes. 'But eyes have an owner' her mind told her. And these were pupil-less eyes. It was a Youkai. Too close to her. She jerked up, but the ache in her back was too much to bear, and she fell down again, moaning.

"Don't force yourself, Sango. It's me, Kouga. I won't hurt you." Came the reassuring voice.

"Ko-" Also her throath ached. She coughed a little to clear her voice. "Kouga?"

"Yes. Are you feeling well?"

"I feel... like... crap." She managed to say through ragged breath.

"Do you need any help?" He didn't like to make her speak for nothing, it was visibly painful for her, but humans were fragile beings, maybe if he waited too much she could have permanent damages.

"Don't... think." She was still heavily panting, but was fast recuperating.

"Good. Now don't worry. I can smell Kagome and the others, they'll be there shortly. They'll know how to treat your human body better than me."

She nodded and closed her eyes trying to regain her breath. Kouga made sure she hadn't passed out, then turned to Ginta e Hakkaku. "You two, go retrieve our clothes."

'Clothes?' Thought Sango, hearing his words. Opening her eyes again, this time trying to really see what was in her field of view, she noticed Kouga was totally naked. Looking in the general direction of his body, she couldn't help but think it was a very beautiful one. His voice -and his words- startled her.

"Never seen a naked male before, am I right?" He said, slightly amused; Sango's face was priceless. He knew that humans had a very strange habit of considering a taboo the sight of the body of someone of the opposite sex; what was the wrong in it, he'd never understand.

Sango blushed deeply and turned to the other side. "That's not the point. Why are you naked, anyway?" She tried to control herself, but her voice held a little worry for what he and the other two could have done to her. With an hand, she touched herself; luckily, her kimono was still closed at the waist, but the top was opened so a large portion of her breasts could be seen.

"In case you didn't noticed, we saved you, not raped you. We were taking a bath in the river, when an unconscious body came floating on the water. If you care to know, when we recognized you, we were worried because you looked dead."

Sango felt guilty, Kouga was right. "I'm sorry. I..." 'I can't stand being helpless.' she thought, then changed the subject. "You must admit that, near an unconsciuos woman, a naked man is... At least suspicious."

"I only think you spend too much time with that monk friend of yours. Beside, aren't you a Taiji-ya? You should know that Yorozokus search for females that can stand up to them, not unconscious ones."

Sango closed her eyes and exaled. He was right again. "I'm sorry, I'm still a little confused..."

Kouga sighed to himself and smiled comprehensively. "It's OK, don't worry. It was my fault to carry the conversation there; sometimes I forget humans are easily embarassed."

'Are we?' thought Sango. In the same moment, Ginta and Hakkaku arrived, already dressed, and handed Kouga his clothes; he stepped a little away to avoid embarassing the taiji-ya even more. Sango forced herself to look at the other two.

"Are you feeling better, Sango-san?" asked Ginta.

"Yeah, you got us worried." echoed Hakkaku.

"I'm sorry, I hadn't planned to get hit by a trunk. But I'm already feeling better, thanks."

"What did you expect? She's a though one." Stated Kouga matter-of-fact. "Ain't I right?" he asked, looking at her. Seeing that he was tieing up his hair again, Sango realized that before they were loose.

"I don't think I'm the right one to say it." she replied. Those three seemed to be really relieved that she was OK; she had never expected the Yorozoku could be so caring. Maybe it had been Kagome's doing, maybe the fact they were the only three left of their pack, or maybe it was just normal for them to care for their friend; otherwise, why would they live in a pack? She smiled a little, all that concern made they seem rather... sweet.

"Well, I think he's right." said Ginta, looking at the girl.

"Me too." replied Hakkaku.

"Sango!" Everybody looked to where the voice came from. It belonged to Miroku who, riding on Kirara, had preceded Kagome, InuYasha and Shippo. The Youkai-cat rushed to Sango and changed back to her smaller form; Miroku had to jump down to avoid falling.

"Mrreow." Kirara caressed Sango's cheek with her own. Sango tried to sit up and Miroku helped her.

"Are you Ok, my beautiful Sango?" asked the monk.

"Yes, thanks to Kouga."

"Sango!" This time the voices were those of Kagome and Shippo that jumped off of InuYasha and, like Miroku and Kirara, rushed to her. "I'm so sorry Sango! It's all my fault!" Kagome begun to hug her friend and utter one excuse after the other.

InuYasha stood in front of Kouga, who was trying, with Miroku, to detach Kagome from Sango. "There was something stinking!" he said.

Kouga turned to him, angrier than usual, but tried to keep things at the level of their usual fight "You finally sniffed yourself?"

"Feh! I bet you saved her just to get near Kagome." Kouga glared hardly at him.

"Personally, I'd be glad even if that was the only reason, InuYasha." Said Miroku, understanding that Sango had absolutely no will to listen to those two squabble.

"You sure? If he'd kidnap Kagome again, she'll be responsible too!" InuYasha replied, pointing a finger at Sango.

Kagome tried to bring him back in line "INUYA- WHACK! ...sha..." Before she could finish the word, Kouga had sent him flying several meters away with a punch right on the nose.

"SHUT UP, YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING HANYOU! IS THIS THE WAY YOU TAKE CARE OF THE FEMALES OF YOUR PACK?" Kouga growled, his eyes turning red.

InuYasha held his bleeding nose, trying to get up without the help of Kagome, who had rushed up to him. "She's perfectly able to take care of herself!"

"Then why we found her unconscious face down in the water? What if it had been Kagome?" Kouga screamed.

"Geez! Thanks, Kouga!" said Sango; thought his words weren't the best someone could hope to hear, her only intention was to distract those two before their fight could degenerate dangerously.

Realizing his words could have been misunderstood, the Yorozoku went near her and knelt down. "I didn't mean it badly. You're just stronger than her. The trunk that knocked you out could have killed her." He spoke calmly and low enough not to be heard by Kagome.

Seeing his rival had turned his back to him, InuYasha launched himself, but was stopped midair by Kagome's "InuYasha, SIT!"

Kouga smirked victoriously at InuYasha's form into the ground and went over to Kagome, grabbing her hands "I knew you would do this for me, Kagome. But you should stop worrying, I can take care of him by myself."

InuYasha raised from the ground, extracting Tessaiga . "If you really think so, why don't we finish this once and for all?" Sango slapped her face; was too much to ask for a little rest?

"InuYasha, don't make me do it again!" Kagome threatened, then spoke gently to Kouga "And you, Kouga... I really appreciate what you did for Sango, but I think she needs a little rest. So, just for today, could you avoid making InuYasha angry?"

Kouga sighed. "It's not like I do this to tease him, but... Ok, I will avoid coming near you for today." Sango breathed in relief and Shippo patted her shoulder sympathetically.

"Thank you, Kouga." said Kagome to the Yorozoku, then spoke louder "Now that everything is fine, let's prepare a camp for tonight. Kouga, Hakkaku, Ginta, you're obviously invited to stay with us, as thank for what you did." Sango, Miroku and Shippo wondered how this could match with her previous request to not tease InuYasha.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The night had invaded the earth and everyone was now sleeping. Everyone except Sango, who kept thinking about what had happened in the day. What a stupid way to die. She was a taiji-ya, a warrior, since she was a little girl she had been trained in various way to defeat Youkai, she was a master in the use of the Hiraikotsu. She came out from her grave -literally- after Kohaku had attacked her and all the others. She'd always thought that, if she had to die young, it would have been fighting a Youkai, not because she'd been hit by a trunk in the water.

She sighed. It was no use mourning about this; she was alive, and she only had to think about getting better. That, in a middle-long time. For now, she should just try to sleep a little. Cautiously, she turned on her back and begun staring at the sky.

There was another thing that kept her awake: Kouga. She'd have never thought he would care so much for a human; a taiji-ya, nonetheless. The thought made her feel weird inside. And also the way he'd spoken to her, his reassuring voice, saying more than once that she was strong, saying that Yorozoku search for strong females... Wasn't it, in a strange way, the greatest compliment she'd ever received? People had called her beautiful, yeah, but... What Kouga had said...

She knew he loved Kagome, even the stones should know after all the times he'd declared it, but... couldn't it be just a way to challenge InuYasha? ...'It's not like I do this to tease him,' he had said earlier... Maybe she was just deceiving herself. She should stop thinking about him. Afterall, she had been saved a lot of times by Miroku and InuYasha, sometimes even from Kagome, it wasn't like she'd fallen in love with them. But they hadn't his beautiful body... His wonderful eyes... Why she had to be passed out when he'd done artificial respiration to her?

Hitting her head to clear her mind, she screamed mentally. It was nonsense. Eyes closed, she inhaled slowly to calm down but, when she opened her eyes, she saw someone sitting near her. With her luck, it was the one that had invaded her thoughts.

"Something's wrong? It's since everyone fell asleep that you keep sighing and tossing aroud. Does your back hurt?" he spoke lowly so the others won't wake up, and his voice seemed to soothe her.

"No, it's just... I was thinking about you." Kouga stared at her; he seemed a little surprised. Sango realized she must be a lot more tired than she'd thought. How could she say it out loud?

"Me?"

"No. Err... Yes... I mean, you as Yorozoku. I must admit you and the other two surprised me today. I thought you were the feisties Youkai on earth's face, but..." she paused, searching for words that couldn't be misunderstood.

"...But?" he prodded her, lying down on his side and resting his head on his hand; the talk was getting interesting.

"Well... First you helped me, then attacked InuYasha about being unable to protect the females of his 'pack'... I was wondering if it's just you three, or if all Yorozoku are so... Caring... About the ones of their 'pack'."

Kouga wasn't really convinced that her wondering was the only reason for her being awake, but at least she could speak normally, she wasn't in pain. And that was all that mattered. "Well... About caring for the ones of our pack, expecially females and pups, but also for our allies, it's a thing we normally do. Sometimes we can be a little aggressive toward our packmates, but it's mostly to state our predominant role, we'd never really hurt them. Only when we fight for the alpha-male role we can be really dangerous, but, if you think about it, a weak alpha would be dangerous for the whole pack; some losses are nothing compared to that."

"Losses? You mean you kill each other just to decide your leader?" Sango asked.

"Sometimes. But it's a very rare occurrence; usually, when two males have very different strenght, the weaker one is able to understand it and submit to the other before he could get killed." Kouga stated matter-of-fact.

Sango nodded, thinking about it. It was harsh, but in the end, these were the same reasons that made humans engage war against each other.

Kouga continued "...About saving you... I think it's just the three of us. I decided to never eat humans again after meeting Kagome, but if all this had happened only some months ago, we would have eaten you." He paused, and looked at her making sure she noticed. "You look pretty appetible..."

Instinctively backing away from him as much as her supine position allowed, Sango wondered what he was thinking. Hadn't he just said he'd never eat humans again? Then, where that 'appetible' came from?

Kouga smelt she was getting tense and understood his joke was inopportune. "Sorry, I was just kidding. Like I said, I no longer eat humans."

"I'm not really sure I want to be reminded that you once did. Expecially when you are so close." Though her words were sarcastical, he could feel she had relaxed and saw she was lying down again.

"Ok. Let's forget about this for tonight, would you? You have to rest if you want to heal soon. That's true for Youkai as well. I hope that now that I answered your doubts, you'd be able to sleep peacefully." he said, hoping she would tell him if something else was wrong.

"Maybe..." She paused. "Kouga?"

"Yes?"

"I think I haven't done it before, so... Thank you for saving me."

"You're welcome."

After a short pause, she added "And thanks for not eating me." she smiled a little.

"Naah, I was full." He dared to repeat his previous joke and, as he had thought, this time Sango wasn't scared; instead, she smiled.

She was relaxed now; his proximity made her feel good, he was so close she could feel his warmth. "Can I ask you a totally unrelated thing?" she said.

He nodded, curious.

"How can you be so warm with all your limbs bare? I'd be freezing."

He smiled, he had thought of a thousand question she could have asked, but that one hadn't crossed his mind. "I suppose it's because I'm a Youkai. My body's temperature isn't different from that of other like me."

"Uhm... I think it was a pretty stupid question, isn't it?" She said, somehow apologetic for actually asking it. He just gave her a look that meant he didn't mind answering.

They staied there in silence for a little, until Kouga noticed Sango's eyes were closed. He looked again at her body. She really was 'appetible', but not in the way he had meant before. He smiled a little and, after a fast glance around the camp to know if anyone else was awake, he gently kissed her forehead, then returned to his own bed.

Sango smiled. Closed eyes don't mean someone's asleep.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Shippo showed Sango his just finished drawing. "Do you like it, Sango?"

"Very beautiful, Shippo." she said, watching it. She looked at the drawn sky a little longer. A sky that could be mistaken for a pair of turquoise eyes. So intense, so beautiful, so blue.

So perfect.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Finished 13-July-2007, 17:39 Italian Time

Thank you for reading thus far.  
If you feel like it, please review. Even flames are welcome if you think there's something that doesn't work.  
By the way, English isn't my natural language, so I apologize for any eventual mistake in the text; I'm looking for a beta-reader to make things better.  
As for now, if you find some errors, please send me an e-mail (skyless_star@libero.it), a message, or write something in a review, as you wish; I'd be glad to fix it as soon as possible.


	2. Scents

**Something Unexpected  
Chapter 02 - Scents  
by Skylessstar **

** Written for 30Kisses, theme #01 "Look Over Here" **

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Disclaimer:** The manga, the anime, and everything else of the 'InuYasha' world have been created by Rumiko Takahashi and belong to her. No money is made with this fanfiction, that is written just for fun.

**Author's Note:** Ok, it took me a while, but the story is finally here.  
Before it, I want to apologize to anyone who had been waiting for an update, but I had things to do that couldn't be postponed, no matter how much I prefer manga and fanfictions upon them.  
I also want to thank my beta-reader, IcePrincess, for helping me to make this story better, and I officially apologize to her for the little misunderstanding about the deadline of the 30kisses community.  
Now, on with the new version (only minor changes had been applied) of Chapter 2.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was there, right in front of his eyes. Well, a little below them... But the way it moved, slightly oscillating from side to side as she walked, the way it looked, wrapped in that black garment of hers, the way she seemed oblivious of its beauty, of her beauty... Only attracted him to it like the flowers attract the bees.

Of their own accord, his hands moved toward it... Slowly... Silently... She must not notice... Just a little more... So soft...

Sensations of pure bliss invaded him as he dared to squeeze, but were soon followed by a low growl. "Grr.." The softness of Sango's bottom against his hands was soon replaced by a red, hand-shaped, mark on his cheek. Sango had refrained from yelling at him, but the noise of the slap he had received alerted the hare they were following, which somehow possessed a shikon shard, and it began to run for all it was worth.

"Dammit! Why can't you two stay quiet?" InuYasha yelled as he forcefully took Kagome and Shippo on his back, just a second before running after the hare.

"Kirara!" Sango called, and the fire cat immediately turned to her bigger form; Sango jumped on her, followed shortly after by Miroku. Before he could put his hands on her bottom with the excuse that he needed to balance himself, Sango turned her head and glared at him, "You, try to keep your hands in a proper place!"

Looking at the murderous expression on her face, Miroku decided it would be better to keep his hands away from her: even though a stolen touch was worth a slap, he wasn't so sure he'd like to risk his life for it, so, Miroku did as ordered, positioning his Shakujo in front of Sango's stomach and grabbing both sides of it. In a moment, Kirara was flying above the forest trying to keep track of the hare, relying mostly on her own nose.

- - -

Somewhere nearby, Kouga sniffed the air; some small animal was fast approaching him. It should be a rabbit... no, more likely a hare. He and his pack mates had already eaten a couple of hours before, but when a possible prey comes running toward you, almost like asking to be eaten, you should at least grant that wish. Kouga went to hide behind some rocks nearby, ordering his pack mates and the wolves to do the same, and waited some moments until he was able to see their soon-to-be snack.

With an elegant movement, Kouga jumped past the rocks and landed right in front of the hare, missing it by mere centimeters. It quickly changed direction and escaped in the forest and Kouga, following his hunting instinct, began to chase it between the trees.

- - -

From above the forest, Sango and Miroku witnessed the exchange between Kouga and the hare. For a moment, Sango only stared at the Youkai, taking in all his movements, marveling at how he could jump four or five meters as if it was nothing.

"Sango, let's follow them!" Miroku said, disrupting her little daydream.

"Go after him, Kirara!" Sango said, hoping Miroku hadn't noticed her distraction.

Realizing that Kouga would probably catch the animal before them, and that if they wanted the shard it would take a long time to convince him, Sango tensed up a little.

Since that day he saved her, Kouga had been appearing in her thoughts and in her dreams at every moment and for the strangest reasons; it took her a great effort, sometimes, to avoid calling 'Kouga' one of her male friends. After a few days, the hope that she might just be curious about him began to give way to the more likely idea that she was falling in love with him.

Given that, a long confrontation wasn't exactly what she needed, at least, not yet. If more time had passed, allowing her to forget that little crush or, at least, sort her feelings, things would have been a lot easier for her.

But that wasn't possible. Kouga was there, chasing the same hare they were, and neither him nor InuYasha would ever give up on the shard; they will fight, Kagome will 'sit' InuYasha, and then--

"We're lucky." said Miroku, as if continuing her thoughts, "If Kouga catches the hare, he will surely hand the shard to Kagome-sama at the end."

--and then her little fantasy would be crushed by the hard reality. Miroku's words had just reminded her why she had been so adamant in denying her blossoming feelings: Kouga loved Kagome. Whatever her feelings for him were, they were unrequited.

Not that she blamed her friend for that. Deep in her heart, she wasn't jealous. Maybe it was just because she hadn't actually seen Kouga court Kagome after she 'discovered' his caring side, or maybe her efforts in chasing away her feelings, even if unsuccessful, had at least kept jealousy at a distance. A part of her still wondered why Kagome hadn't left InuYasha for Kouga.

She sighed softly, careful not to be heard by Miroku. Her warrior's pride was telling her that seeing Kouga court Kagome would force her to get over her childish infatuation and, consequentially, put an end to her confusion. But her inner self was telling a whole different story.

- - -

In the forest, Kouga was chasing the hare. Even without his shards, he would've been much faster than the small animal, but he was having problems keeping up with it because of the thick vegetation, in which a human-sized being was already too big. Dodging tree after tree, jumping past rocks and avoiding hidden holes, the hunter and his prey reached a small clearing.

Finally free to move, with one last sprint Kouga caught the little being just before it entered the forest again. A swift movement, and the animal was killed on the spot. Without even the time to celebrate the predator in himself, Kouga smelled someone coming his way. Looking up, he saw Kirara landing near him and Sango easily jumping down from her.

"Sango! Nice to see you're doing better!" he greeted her, genuinely happy that she was back to her normal abilities. A warrior so skilled and brave was a valuable one even among Yorozokus; even if they should have been enemies, it pleased him to see she won't stop fighting because of a stupid trunk.

"Thanks, Kouga." She smiled. "...You beat us." she pointed at the hare in the Youkai's hand and almost ignored him, trying to act as if she hadn't thought about him for the whole previous week.

"You were hunting it, too?" he asked, not really having considered the fact.

"Of course we were, filthy wolf! And we saw it first, so hand it over now or I'm going to slash you!" InuYasha barked from the last trees of the forest, pulling out Tessaiga while Kagome and Shippo jumped down.

Kouga glanced at the Hanyou for half a second. After seeing how inept InuYasha was at protecting the two girls, simply thinking of him made Kouga angry. If he wasn't sure that Kagome would hate him afterward, he would finish the useless Hanyou right there. Beside this, he knew that if he were to fight against InuYasha _with_ the Tessaiga, his chances of winning would be close to nothing. So, instead of picking a fight that would surely degenerate, Kouga decided to completely ignore his rival.

"Hold this." he said, launching the hare to Sango -who caught it with a questioning face-; then he rushed toward InuYasha, only turn around him and reach Kagome.

"Kagome! Did you come to see me?" he said, grabbing her hands like he always did.

Looking at the exchange, Sango saw her fears materialized. She knew that it would happen, but nonetheless, it wasn't pleasant.

Kagome begun to speak, "Hi, Ko--" "DON'T YOU IGNORE ME!" InuYasha interrupted her, swinging his sword that Kouga dodged gracefully.

Sango sighed in discomfort for the childish behaviour of the two, but felt somehow relieved that her fantasy could survive a little longer.

"Something wrong, Sango?" Miroku asked. In truth, his concern was just an excuse to grope her again.

"Miroku!" She yelled, slapping him hard across the face. Due to the fact that they had slept in the forest for the past four days and that he hadn't seen any girl other than Sango and Kagome for all that time, the monk had been very insistent on his advances toward Sango during the day, and the taiji-ya had really had enough of it.

Kouga and InuYasha stopped for a moment, turning in the direction of the noise. Kouga looked at the marks on the monk's cheeks -one redder than the other- and was taken aback by Sango's murderous glare. _That_ was being feisty, he thought, smirking.

InuYasha, being more used to Miroku's groping and Sango's slapping, took advantage of Kouga's distraction and attacked him; the Youkai wolf dodged at the very last second.

While the two fought, Sango approached Kagome -and went away from Miroku- showing her the hare. "Can you see the shard, Kagome-chan?"

After she looked at it for a moment, the younger girl said it was in the animal's stomach. Sango nodded and tore open the little animal using a knife hidden on the calf of her taiji-ya uniform, then took out the shard using the knife's tip. Kagome purified it while wiping off the blood and the gastric acid, unfazed by them after all the months spent in the Sengoku.

By the time the two girls had finished, InuYasha was still trying to hit Kouga, who in turn was skilfully avoiding swing after swing, often jumping on top of Tessaiga or InuYasha's head just to make him angrier.

"Kouga, InuYasha, would you like to stop?" asked Kagome, speaking loud enough for the two to hear her above the racket they were making.

"Take that, mutt-face! She called me first!" Kouga celebrated, only to mock InuYasha. In truth, he couldn't care less who was the first to be called, but was really determined to take whatever chance he could to piss off the Hanyou and let Kagome do her 'Sit' thing.

"Just because she knows that _you_ are the real problem!" countered InuYasha.

While dodging the Hanyou's strikes, Kouga was gradually moving toward Kagome with a plan in his mind. When he was a couple of meters away from her, he ran toward the girl, wanting to kiss her. But he had miscalculated that, even though he was faster, InuYasha just happened to be nearer so he managed to grab Kagome by an arm and drag her away.

That should have ended the matter but, unluckily or not, Kouga lost his balance and fell above Sango, who was slightly bent to put the knife back in its place; the Youkai's mouth came in contact with Sango's cheek, right beside her lips, as she rolled to the ground with him on top.

Everybody froze instantly.

Shippo and Kagome cringed; Miroku, knowing first-hand her vehemence and having noticed she still held the knife in her hand, began to pray for Kouga's soul. InuYasha, on the other hand, was grinning: Sango would surely beat the wolf to a pulp, and on top of that, Kagome won't be angry at him -nor 'sit' him. Even Kouga, after witnessing the slap Sango had given to the monk, was wondering if he could make it unscathed.

But Sango wasn't half as angry as everyone thought. She blinked in surprise as her body connected with the ground, then tried to keep her breath under control as her sight focused on Kouga's eyes. The same blue eyes that had greeted her some days before when he had saved her; the same blue eyes that had her so confused.

All her bliss lasted a mere moment, as Kouga moved his head and his lips a away from her face. Sango could see he was inhaling slowly and staring at her intently, like something of her had captured his attention. Kouga swallowed, and she didn't fail to notice how he licked his lips nervously, while continuing to breathe deeply, almost like testing her scent, and never taking his eyes away from hers.

Concerned for both of them, Kagome was the one to break the silence. "Are both of you okay?"

When Kouga looked at her and came out of his trance, he quickly jumped to his feet and raised his hands in front of himself, beginning to stumble on his own words. "He-he." he laughed nervously, looking at the two girls alternatively. "Well..."

That was it. How stupid of her to enjoy a kiss given by mistake. It happened because he hadn't even noticed her presence behind Kagome, and there she was, daydreaming about it. Sango pushed all the thoughts about the Youkai wolf aside and got to her feet.

"I... Uh..." Kouga continued his unfruitful efforts to say something, but Sango didn't let him speak and shoved the hare to his chest, knocking the air out of his lungs.

"That's yours, you can go now." she said, her voice holding no emotion at all.

Kouga stared at her for half a second. "See ya." he said, and then ran off in the direction where his pack mates were, without even looking at the others.

Sango put her knife back in her uniform acting like nothing had happened, and when she raised her head she saw everybody was staring at her wide-eyed. Puzzled, she looked behind herself to see if something strange was happening there.

"You didn't... punish him?" Miroku was the first to speak, due to a lingering feeling of jealousy that Kouga's kiss and Sango's lack of reaction had caused in him.

"Why would I?" she asked, missing his point.

"Well, he... kissed you... and you always try to crack my head open if I only touch you _innocently_, so... well.. I thought you'd be angry..." Miroku explained, trying to disguise jealousy as curiosity.

Shrugging, she said "It was just an accident, he wanted to kiss Kagome, but InuYasha moved her away. I should be angry with him... But again, he was just protecting Kagome." she shrugged a second time.

Miroku pondered if -and especially _how_- he could use that 'accidental contact' technique.

"I think we should prepare our camp here. It would be dark in a couple of hours, and I think we can call it a day." Sango continued, pointing at the shard still in Kagome's hand.

"Uh... You're right, I guess." said the other girl. She considered asking Sango if, flying on Kirara, she had seen a river nearby where they could take a bath, but she stopped. Miroku was caressing Kirara, perched on Sango's shoulder facing backward. 'Accidentally' his hand followed her tails and went down to grope Sango's bosom.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize Kirara's tail had already ended." the monk said, using a childish smile to distract the girls from his squeezing hand.

"Grrr!" The taiji-ya growled.

"MI.. RO.. KUU!!!" Sango's loud scream, and the ensuing violent crash of Hiraikotsu and said monk's head, reverberated through the forest.

- - -

Kouga grimaced, hearing Sango's roar and the following thud; that could have been directed at him...

No, maybe not; not with that insanely good scent she had...

Kouga involuntarily took a deep breath, as if he wanted to smell her again.

A small smile appeared on his lips, as thoughts of having Sango as a concubine crossed his mind. After all, he needed to rebuild his pack sooner or later, and Sango's body was strong enough to bear a lot of pups.

"Kouga, did you meet Kagome nee-san?" asked Ginta.

"What?" answered Kouga in a dreamy voice, still deep in his fantasy.

Hakkaku sniffed the stomach of the animal. "There's the faint scent of a Shikon shard here, but we can't find it."

Ginta did the same. "And there's also Sango's scent..."

"Yeah... So good..." Kouga refused to interrupt his daydreaming.

"Something wrong, Kouga?" asked Hakkaku, noticing his leader's increased breath.

Startled, Kouga decided to just ignore the question. "Shut up!" he said, then started to run away, looking for a river or something; he could definitely use a _very_ cold bath.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Finished 28-10-2007, 19:29 Italian Time  
Revised 23-11-2007, 18:53 Italian Time  
Revised properly 25-11-2007, 18:15 Italian Time

Whoever might want post a review to this chapter is welcome, even if it's a negative one; if you think something's wrong, and say it, maybe next time I'll be able to avoid the same mistake. And don't worry about 'hurting my feelings', one has to accept his/her mistakes.

**Author's note bis:** I know that the pairing Kouga/Sango isn't one of the most popular, and the previous chapter was just the first, so I didn't really expect more than three, four reviews; instead, considering the english and italian version, I got 13!

I tried to reply to every one of them but, in the middle of whatever it was that I was doing and that kept me from writing chapter 2, sometimes I opened web pages and then didn't watch at them; so, if I unwillingly forgot to reply, I apologize by saying thank you very much, they were all very kind.

**Addendum.** About Kouga thinking of Sango as a concubine: I didn't mean to make him appear as a womanizer or something, I just thought it could be his natural reaction to her scent. Natural is beyond the concept of right or wrong.


	3. Pride

**Something Unexpected  
Chapter 03 - Pride**  
By **SkylessStar**

**Written for 30Kisses, theme #04 - "Our Distance And That Person"**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Disclaimer:** The manga, the anime, and everything else of the 'InuYasha' world have been created by Rumiko Takahashi and belong to her. No money is made with this fanfiction, that is written just for fun.

I wish to thank my beta reader **ice princess** (aka **swasdiva**) for her precious help with this chapter.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ginta yawned. He was sitting on a rock near Hakkaku, who was talking with the wolves, as they all waited for Kouga. Since they had begun moving in the morning, they stopped maybe ten times, and no telling how many others in the three hours before dark. If they moved so slowly, when were they supposed to find Naraku?

The two Yorozokus and the wolves smelled when Kouga finally stopped, quite far from them. Even though they were upwind, Kouga's condition was hard to miss.

"The scent is still there." Ginta said matter-of-factly.

"So it seems. How long since it began? Around ten days?"

"Twelve. But it's strange, at this time of the year it shouldn't last this long. Besides, it's not only a matter of scents, he's actually marking half of Japan as his territory. This time he's serious."

"Do you think Kagome nee-san has finally accepted to mate with Kouga? Maybe it's the right time for humans. If that was the case, it wouldn't be strange for him to be in heat." Hakkaku said.

"I don't know... Kouga would never let Kagome nee-san stay with InuYasha after she'd decided to mate him. Maybe he found another female. It wasn't like he had chosen her with his nose, to begin with."

"Maybe he had finally found his true mate. But stubborn as he is, he'd never give up on Kagome nee-san after claiming her so many times."

"So the question is: 'Why isn't Kagome nee-san here?'"

Hakkaku nodded, thoughtful. "I'm afraid we'll have to ask him..."

"...And that he'll get mad." finished Ginta.

- - -

Kouga cursed under his breath. This wasn't supposed to last so long.

Hell, it wasn't even supposed to happen.

He had Kagome, he had claimed her so many times he'd lost count of them, so why couldn't he get Sango out of his mind? Why did he want to do things to her that he never imagined doing to Kagome? Not that he thought Kagome was less than beautiful, but the feelings that Sango had been able to awaken...

Kouga sighed, shaking his head in the hopeless effort to clear his mind. Under other circumstances, he would have proclaimed he was in heat to the world, claimed Sango so that everyone would know she was already taken, mated her. But he couldn't do it now. He couldn't just give up Kagome and say: 'Hey, I've been after the wrong female for the past five months, now it is Sango my life-long mate of the week.' He already imagined everyone's reactions.

Mutt-face would surely misunderstand and think he had relinquished Kagome because he was afraid of him. And he already knew the Hanoyu wasn't going to let him see the end of it.

Hakkaku and Ginta would think he was unworthy of being their leader, whether they believed he was afraid of the Hanyou or they believed he had missed that his mate wasn't the one he was claiming, but another just under his nose. What kind of leader could be someone who isn't even able to recognize his own mate?

As for Kagome, he had always known she wanted InuYasha; she'd probably just be glad if he'd stop claiming her. But that got on his nerves. How dare she be happy _he_ had chosen another?

And Sango? What would think Sango of his sudden change of heart?

Would she think, as probably anyone else, that he was forfeiting his claim on Kagome because of fear?

Would she think poorly of him because he hadn't been able to recognize her as his mate for so long?

Would she think that she was just a replacement for him?

Would she, because of one or more of the previous reasons, reject him? In truth, that was the thing that scared him the most.

But that wasn't the only bad scenario. What if Kagome suddenly changed her mind and accepted to be his woman before he could claim Sango? She was the first he had claimed, she'd have priority unless he mated Sango first. And, no matter what his fantasies were in the moments after he had been introduced to Sango's wonderful scent, he didn't want her_only_ as a secondary mate.

Sure, an Alpha -especially as young, handsome and strong as he was, he thought proudly- was expected to get the un-mated females of the pack pregnant, but only when there weren't enough males. And only during their heat. Now wasn't even the right season. Most importantly, he wasn't supposed to be in heat after just smelling one of them!

When did all this begun? How could just a simple scent - if he could define a scent he'd kill to smell again 'simple' - do this to him? Once he had chosen his mate, he shouldn't be affected so much by other females fragrances.

He groaned. If only Kagome had been the one with _that_ scent, there wouldn't be a war between his primal instincts and his pride. Kagome was supposed to be the one to have this kind of effect. Kagome. Not Sango. No. Not the brave and skilled warrior. Not the one with that gorgeous, curvaceous body. The one with those inviting lips, that delicious scent. ...And that damn exciting death glare she had directed to the monk...

Kouga swallowed hard, trying to calm himself. His effort at chasing away any image of Sango weren't helping the least one bit; they just kept coming, every time more vivid. It should have been enough proof that he was beginning to smell arousal mixed with his normal scent. Well, the scent that had been normal for him in those past days.

"Man, I want to see that look again." He groaned, as if accepting his need of her was a defeat, thinking about the fire he had seen in her eyes when she had slapped the monk. Oh, he had _so_ loved it.

Nonetheless, it had confused him a lot. A Yorozoku would do anything to see that kind of look on the face of his mate. For every pair, their first times together were somehow a fight for supremacy, a way to prove they would be good enough for each other. The fiercer they were, the stronger the trust in each other would grow, and the longer their union would last.

If Sango acted that way around the monk, did it meant that she wanted him?

She wasn't his, and that was for sure. The only traces of the monk's scent on Sango were superficial. Maybe his scent was attached to her because of the way they rode on her Youkai-cat, Kirara or whatever its name was.

So, why had she graced him with such a stare? Could it be that she wanted him but the contrary wasn't true?

"That's impossible." he said out loud. Who, in his right mind, could prefer another woman to Sango?

Yeah, sure... Like he hadn't been after Kagome...

"How could I miss _her_?" he questioned aloud.

"Pride. I've been carried away by the wish to prove I'm better than mutt-face." He answered his own question. But that wasn't much help. Knowing it was his pride to keep them apart wasn't enough to make him stop being proud.

"I'm an idiot." he said, placing his forearm on the tree he had been marking and burying his head in the crook of his arm. A little while after, he finished marking the tree, covered himself, and began walking back to his pack mates. As he moved away, the signature smell of his condition became weaker and weaker. That caused a sudden realization to hit him.

Sango's scent did never stand out. Sure, he could tell she was among her friends, but her scent had always been the last one to reach his nose. The only time he had been able to single her scent out was when he fell above her.

That didn't make sense. If she was his mate, he should be able to catch her scent miles aw--

Sniff... Sniff...

Here it was. Irresistible, unmistakable, heavenly. The scent of _his_ Sango.

He didn't even have the time to realize how fast his thoughts had been proven wrong before his body began running at top speed to meet her.

As he ran, other scents became clear besides Sango's. Some were humans, some not, and there were many of them. But he didn't care that she was probably in a village where a lot of humans would panic as soon as they saw him; that was their problem. Right now, he was trying to convince himself that he shouldn't run so fast. Was he so caught in his desire of her that he'd be ready to throw away all his doubts, all his efforts to maintain some sort of dignity, some small pieces of pride?

Maybe he should slow down and try to act normal, deny his interest for her until he would be able to tell whether he had been the one to make her scent so spicy and inviting, or if he had to rip off someone's head. Maybe bringing her their head would make a good impression...

"No, no, no! Stop spitting nonsense! She's human! She won't like it!" he said out loud to make sure his ears would catch his words. Her feral glare, thought, could rival that of a Yorozoku female: maybe he would be able to court her in the way he knew by instinct, after all…

- - -

Sango and the others were peacefully walking in the streets of the village when InuYasha suddenly snickered. Someone with a really bad smell was coming fast. The fact that it was Kouga was enough to make his day a bad one, but there was something more. He didn't quite recognize it at the beginning, since it seemed like Kouga was trying to hide or deny it, but somehow he would say it was lust that he was smelling.

Not really arousal, not the highly spiced scent that went along with excitement and anticipation, but something even more primal, entwined with longing and need, something meant to last.

InuYasha's eyes went wide as he realized. The bastard was in heat!

Sango heard him growl, and at the same time she heard Kagome say: "I can sense two shikon's shards approaching fast."

"Kouga." she said, putting two and two together. The only emotion in her voice was complete indifference; Kouga was coming to claim Kagome. Already seen, already done.

That indifference, though, had cost her half her hours of sleep for a whole week, until one night she had found herself almost on the verge of tears. At that point, her pride had taken over and she had built up a solid wall to keep him out of her head.

He wanted another? Perfect. It wasn't like she had spent years of her life running after him, just a couple of weeks more or less. And nobody had the slightest clue of what she had been feeling, so nobody would pity her, or mock her, or try to hurt her with it, or anything else.

At that point, she was pretty sure she could look him in the eyes and feel absolutely nothing, that she could see him court Kagome and then run away without acknowledging her existence without being jealous or sad. She had been waiting to meet him, just to have a chance to prove to herself she no longer ached to see him.

"And he's looking for trouble." InuYasha answered Sango's thought, "This time I'm _really_ gonna have his head!"

Sango looked at him, wondering why he was so angry. It was just Kouga.

"InuYasha, stop acting like a spoiled child!" yelled Kagome, her reaction diametrically opposite to Sango's collected one.

But he didn't have time to say anything, because Kouga had already reached them, jumping past some villagers who were now staring at him with fear or admiration, the latter coming from a group of children. In front of them, Kouga pointed his feet and let them slide on the ground until the friction stopped him with a cloud of dust.

"Hi, gorgeous one!" Kouga looked purposefully between the two girls, who luckily were close enough to make it seem he wasn't greeting the void.

"I can smell trouble..." Shippo whispered to nobody in particular and climbed down from Kagome's shoulder to hide on Sango's safer one. He might be still a child, but he was very observant and smart. By instinct he had recognized Kouga's scent and, even if he didn't really understand what it meant "being in heat", he knew he shouldn't stand between a Kouga in heat and an angry InuYasha.

Before Kouga could greet Kagome or Sango -which of the two, he still hadn't decided- InuYasha held Tessaiga against the Yorozoku's chest. "Do you honestly think I'll let you go near her, flea bag?" he said darkly, his tone promising a fight.

Not understanding how serious the fight was going to be, Kagome said InuYasha: "I've already told you to stop acting like a child!" but both he and Kouga ignored her.

"You got a problem with that, mutt-face?" Kouga said smugly, crossing his arms above his chest. It didn't matter that they were talking about two different females; what mattered was the forthcoming battle of male pride, something that neither of the contenders lacked.

"The only one with a problem will be you!" countered InuYasha.

"Kagome-chan, maybe it's safer if you step aside." Sango said, gently pulling on her friend's arm. Knowing more about Youkai and being able to read an opponent's face to predict his next move, Sango had the strong sensation that the two wouldn't stop until they had settled the score.

"Take her away, Sango. They may hurt her if she stays there." Shippo whispered hiding in her hair. He seemed afraid, and Kirara was also on alert. What was going on?

Looking at her friend, Kagome understood Sango's concern, but she didn't move. If she stepped aside and they began to fight, they might hurt some innocent bystander. As long as she was between them, they wouldn't fight.

...Right? Both InuYasha's and Kouga's glares promised the opposite. They were squaring each other, searching for the right moment to attack.

"Kouga, please try to act friendly just this once." Kagome said. If the Yorozoku did as she said -and he would, because it could make InuYasha jealous- she could handle InuYasha with a 'sit' or two. What she could do, then, to get InuYasha to forgive her was another problem.

"Stay out of it, Kagome!" the Hanyou growled, flexing his legs as if ready to jump at his opponent's throat.

"What.." Kagome was shocked that he would use such a tone with her, since he hadn't done it in ages. She momentarily forgot about Kouga and their fight. "InuYasha, don't make me say it!"

Being threatened by the very female he was defending from another male... That was something he had never heard and that made him snap at her. "Shut up, wench! This has nothing to do with you!" Not really true, but it was something that he and the wimpy wolf had to settle between them.

"Nothing to do..." she repeated, shock being replaced by anger.

While the two of them were squabbling, Kouga turned his attention to Sango. He liked when Kagome 'sat' mutt-face, but right now he had more important things to do and the distraction of the other two gave him a little time alone with Sango.

"Hey," he began casually, "Isn't that the same thing you wore that day I saved you in the river?" He said, emphasizing the fact that _he_ had saved _her_.

She nodded, murmuring a half-hearted "Yes."

That wasn't right. She was his mate, she should look at him with lustful eyes, stare at him in awe, or even glare and scream at him, anything but show him indifference.

He sniffed the air around her. "It's just my impression, or does this one release your scent more than the black one you usually wear? ...You know, you look really sexy squeezed inside it." The way he whispered only the last part, licking his lips and closing the distance between them, made Sango raise an eyebrow and gawk at him.

"But now you don't smell as heavenly as last time," he said in an even tone, "When I found myself lying on top of you." he whispered with his most sensual voice.

Sango jerked her head back. When she had wanted him he had ignored her, and now he was... Doing what? Trying to seduce her all of sudden? She snarled, "O-Of course the other one conceals my scent. It's a Taiji-ya garment!"

That look... Did she realize how beautiful she was when she was angry? Or maybe it was just the faint trace of excitement he could smell coming from her? He licked his lips again, but in that exact moment he heard Kagome yell five or six 'sit's in a row. He rapidly changed the subject of their conversation while the girl stomped back to them. "Hey, I don't see the monk. Did you kill him last time?" That wasn't exactly a random question, but he had to understand if she already wanted him or if he had a rival.

Sango frowned. Kouga surely had a dark sense of humor. Miroku just wasn't around, it didn't mean she had killed him. And weren't they talking about something else? She had a right to be the one to change the subject, he didn't.

Kouga tried to explain a little, because of her confused face. "From the forest, I heard you scream at him, then a blow. It sounded rather painful."

Sango stared at him for a little while, trying to understand what he was talking about, then realized suddenly. "You could hear it from the forest?" she seemed surprised by that.

"Loud and clear." he nodded.

Scratching her head in an uncharacteristically sheepish way, she looked at Kagome. "Ok, _maybe_ I did overreact a little that time." Both the younger girl and Shippo, still safely hidden between Sango's shoulders, had said that same thing countless times in the almost two hours the monk had been out cold.

"You mean when you almost killed him?" Kagome's question sounded more like a reproach. Not that she wanted to scold her friend, but she had been really scared.

"So, he's still alive?" Kouga asked, a little annoyed by the intrusion.

"Uh?... Oh, yes. You asked about him." Sango said, recuperating from her embarrass. "He's been sending away the evil spirits from the biggest house of the town. He told us to take a look around: it probably means he saw some girl and now he's trying to convince her to bear his child." She sounded anything but angry, and that made Kouga grin.

"Do you find it funny?" Sango narrowed her eyes, wondering if Kouga could be another womanizer.

Kouga, though, was contemplating another aspect. The one he thought could be his rival was chasing girls, but Sango wasn't angry. That wasn't funny, it was simply wonderful: her scent, last time, had been only for him.

But he didn't have the time to say anything because they heard InuYasha painfully trying to get on his feet. He was muttering something bad about Kouga, and Tessaiga slicing him to pieces, and Kagome not getting away with her 'sit'.

Sango massaged her forehead, already tired of the skirmish that had yet to begin. Her face hidden in her hand, she told Kouga, "Try not to fight with him, you two are getting really monotonous." Again, her voice was somewhere between emotionless and bored.

Kouga pondered her reaction: human females were surely strange. He'd do anything to show her how strong he was, and she was annoyed by it? That would get him angry, if it wasn't for her scent that caused in him a totally different reaction.

Meanwhile, InuYasha had been able to get on his feet, and had already pointed Tessaiga against Kouga as for challenging him, without even noticing the Yorozoku was totally ignoring Kagome and taking advantage of everybody's distraction to loot at Sango.

Kagome stepped between InuYasha and the others with the firm intention to put an end to his stubbornness, making actually impossible for him to attack Kouga without hurting her.

"Do I have to say it again?" she asked in a threatening voice, prepared to 'sit' him as long as she needed.

Although, InuYasha, stood his ground; the two of them began a stare match.

Meanwhile, Kouga was studying Sango. She was making a point of ignoring him, and her face was rather convincing, but in her scent there was a weak hint of desire. So weak that, if she hadn't been his destined mate, he wouldn't have been able to pick it out.

Then, what to do now? She definitely was the one for him, and he was pretty sure she was attracted to him, but everything around them was conspiring against their union. He couldn't let anyone think that he was leaving Kagome behind because he was submitting to mutt-face. Even though he couldn't care less for Kagome right now, he wanted to prove he was the strongest, the Alpha male. He wanted to fight for his woman; someone like Sango _deserved_ a fight.

If Kagome wasn't always sticking her nose in their duels, he would have fought the Hanyou, but what good would do him, in Sango' eyes, to win a match because Kagome 'sat' his opponent? He had to find a way to challenge him without Kagome around, but would he fight for Sango? Other than being the leader of her group, he had no reason to do it for her.

He was debating if it was a good time to go away, since remaining there would only be fruitless and frustrating. Maybe without her around he would be able to think a little better, but the idea of leaving Sango, especially with someone and in the care of someone like mutt-face, was holding him back. Kouga sighed.

Her eyes still avoided him, but from her lips came out a simple "What's wrong?" that she hadn't really allowed. He was even more confused, but before Kagome or InuYasha could look at them, he gathered all his resolve and moved his head near Sango's, whispering, "Tonight, in the forest. Alone."

Sango's eyes widened. Why was he suddenly being so secretive? She turned to ask him -at that point her defenses had been shattered and she only wanted to know what was going on in his mind- but as soon as she moved, he sprinted away with the firm intention of denying her the time to refuse. Some steps away, he turned and blew her a kiss. "Bye." he said simply before running out of the village.

Kagome and InuYasha heard him without seeing what he was doing. InuYasha immediately pointed out that his 'opponent' had fled the battlefield, being careful to keep quiet about his heat, since he didn't want Kagome to get strange ideas. Kagome rolled her eyes, but listened to him anyway, hoping that it would make him shut up sooner.

Shippo finally came out from behind Sango's shoulders. Kouga's words had confused him and he wanted Sango to explain what was going on, but she didn't even acknowledge his presence. Peeping at her face, he was the only one that witnessed her expression. There was astonishment, there was confusion... and a small smile on her lips.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Finished 21-Dec-2007, 11:33 Italian Time  
Revised 27-Jan-2008, 01:59 Italian Time

Thank you for reading this story, and thanks to anyone who left a review for the previous chapters.  
Whoever wants to review is welcome, even -I'd dare to say 'especially'- if you think that the story needs more work.


	4. You Belong To Me

**Something Unexpected  
Chapter 04 - You Belong To Me  
**by **SkylessStar**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
Before everything, I want to thank anybody who put up with my exasperating slowness and continue reading the story, as well as those who reviewed or put the story in their favorites.  
For this chapter I couldn't find a beta-reader, so I apologize in advance for any mistake I could have missed.

**Disclaimer**: Koga, Sango and all the characters had been created by **Rumiko Takahashi**.  
The Song "The Prophet Said" belongs to **Lacuna Coil**.  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_**  
Teasing pureness of your eyes  
Crawling into empty spaces  
You could lie and lie again  
You belong to my possession**_  
- - -

Kouga stared at the clear night sky.

Seen from above, the forest looked like a silent, serene land graced by the ethereal light of a silvery moon. Everything around him was immobile, helplessly oblivious to the impatience wrapping his soul.

Just like he had done a second before, he sniffed the air. Still no sign of her.

Again, he moved on another branch of the tree that allowed him the highest possibilities of seeing and smelling her arrive, wondering once more if he should storm in the village to find her and bring her somewhere private.

At the beginning of the night he had been overwhelmed by excitement, both physical and psychological, but as time went by and she didn't arrive uneasiness began to gain the upper hand. Three hours had already passed since sunset, why was she taking so long? Hadn't she agreed to met him in the night?

Kouga scratched his head, thinking about what had happened. Back at the village, with his brain fogged by her closeness and her scent, he had thought it was a good idea to go away before she could say 'no'. Now he was beginning to see that not allowing her to refuse wasn't the same as making her accept.

Even if she wanted to meet him, anyway, he hadn't given her a place or a time... The hour he had spent choosing the spot from where he'd catch her scent faster and better would be all in vain if she decided to enter the forest from the other side of the village.

Not that he was really blaming himself for the stupid way he had acted: with the mind-blowing effect her presence had on him, he was actually wondering how had he managed not to jump her bones while talking with her, being near her, even _teasing_ her.

Eyes filled with worries and longing turned to the village, wishing for her to magically appear even if he hadn't perceived her scent. She had to hurry up, the night might not be long enough for all the things he wanted to do.

What was she doing?

- - -

Sango turned in her futon for maybe the hundredth time.

Sighing, she watched the light of the full moon enter from the small window and enlighten the whole room. Maybe it was a good moment to go. The night was still young but, if she waited too much, she might be unable to come back before the others would wake. Not that she could guess how much time her meeting with Kouga would take, since she didn't even know _why_ he wanted to see her.

She had dared to think he wanted to spend some time with her -something romantic, just the two of them under the moon, walking hand in hand, doing sweet talks, looking in each other's eyes- but...

'Get real, Sango.' She said herself in an inner talk. '_Kouga_, doing something like that? ...For you?' She had been able to witness his caring side, but there was a long road from being concerned to going lovey-dovey.

It had been bugging her since dinner, after somebody said something she couldn't remember exactly: what was the true reason Kouga wanted to see her alone? They all knew he wasn't one to keep his feelings for himself, if he was in any way interested in her, he wouldn't have been so discreet.

Because of the things he had said about her scent and her being 'sexy', when he had invited her in the forest she had really thought he wanted to see her, just her, only her.

What if he just wanted her to give him some suggestions on how to court Kagome? After all, that same afternoon he had fought with InuYasha just to go near the younger girl.

Being a taiji-ya, Sango knew some Youkai -Yorozokus among them- were really possessive about their mates. She should have understood from the first moment that he was still running after Kagome, but she had nonetheless listened to her ludicrous hopes.

But if that was the reason, why had he licked his lips so often around her? Well, not really often, just a couple of time, but he was so close and his eyes held so much intensity that she had been expecting a kiss at any moment. A kiss that obviously didn't arrive.

Sango turned again, now lying on her back. Maybe she should just give up and try to sleep a little. Kouga was obviously not interested in her, and yet she was considering to go in the forest, in the middle of the night, leaving a warm and comfortable house, just to tell to the very one she liked how to court someone else?

"This surely ain't gonna happen." She whispered, closing her eyes with another sigh meant to take away all her sorrow. Controlling her breathing, she forced herself to relax, trying to get some very needed sleep.

- - -

Silent as he had never been before, Kouga was approaching the village. Every movement he made was slow and deliberate, every step he took was the result of an inner struggle between the emotions that pushed him forward and the thoughts that uselessly tried to stop him.

Pride screamed for him to go back. How could he go to her, begging for some attention -after she, not showing up, had practically turned him down- and still expect her to respect him?

Anger allowed him to proceed. Pretending he was going there just to make a scene about her absence could be a good excuse to deceive his pride.

Good sense told him to stay away from other people. If courting her in front of others would embarrass her as much as seeing him naked, then being alone and far from the village was necessary for what he wanted to do.

Attraction pushed him forward. He wanted her, no point in denying it. Denial couldn't erase that primitive need to see her body move beneath his own.

Gathering his courage, he decided to end that pointless debate and continue without further questions. No matter how many good reasons to stop his brain could find, his body would always find one more reason to go.

It didn't take long to reach the last trees of the forest, from where he could easily smell the various humans inhabiting the village. Given the number of people that lived there and the fact that she was probably inside some house, it didn't surprise him that he couldn't make out Sango's scent. Resolved to find her nonetheless, he decided to search fresh traces of her scent around every huts.

Luck should have been on his side, because as soon as he approached the nearest window, he felt her scent became more intense; not enough for her to be in the room behind that wall, though. He tried the opposite side of the hut and her scent seemed to be stronger. Kouga climbed the small height that separated his face from the window to better smell the inside.

It was strange: her scent kept coming nearer, but inside the hut he could only see and smell an old man and a child. And the house, he realized then, wasn't big enough to held more than a room.

"Looking for someone?" A whisper, from behind his shoulders.

Still grasping the edges of the window, Kouga turned his head as fast as he could, only to see Sango standing behind him. All the doubts and uncertainties that had been plaguing his mind until then instantly disappeared in the exact moment he saw her smile.

- - -

When she recognized the dark figure sniffing the air around a hut, probably doing a thorough search for her, Sango smiled. Not because he was there -she was still unsure about his reasons- but because she was finally understanding why Kirara had dragged her out of bed just when she was about to catch some sleep. She had initially thought there was some adverse Youkai, but when Kirara convinced her to leave Hiraikotsu behind, Sango had begun to wonder what might be so urgent.

"Looking for someone?" She asked, her voice low enough not to wake anyone.

When he turned around, Sango began petting the yellow companion on her shoulder, as for thanking her. She was still afraid Kouga could break her heart, but at least she had a chance to make things clear. In a way, she felt relieved, she felt good. And she felt even better at the refreshing sight of him smiling while still holding onto the window.

"Sango." Was all he said. He stared at her for a moment before realizing there were more comfortable position to do it than loping from a window, then jumped down. Eyes restlessly wandering over her, he nonetheless failed to notice Hiraikotsu's absence; he couldn't care less at the moment. He noticed very well, though, her hair let down and the pink kimono she was wearing. It was a good sign, she had no intention of hiding her scent from him.

Finally setting his eyes on her face, he began to slowly move toward her. It didn't matter the light of the moon gave her a supernatural aura, it didn't matter the smile on her lips was the most gracious and innocent thing he had ever seen, it didn't matter they were in the middle of a human village: in that moment the only thing in his mind was her body, ethereal personification of raw, earthly carnality.

He could tell -no, he _knew_- beneath that collected appearance of hers there was an untamed fire, and he longed, ached to touch it, explore it, be the one to push it to its limits as the two of them become one.

Sango watched him approach. His smile had slowly turned into a piercing stare, holding much more intensity than she ever believed could be seen on Kouga's face. She noticed all too well how his eyes roamed over her body more than once, something ravenous transpiring from behind them.

Her own smile disappeared, unable to withstand his seriousness, and uneasiness began to make its way inside of her. Her taiji-ya's second nature kicked in, forcing her to stay alert. He was giving her the same sensation she got whenever a Youkai tried to assault her: his predatory grin, the confidence in his movements, his tongue licking his lips -again...

Everything about him said she was his prey and he was about to eat her.

Just before he could reach her, Kouga saw Sango take a fighting stance. He paused; was the expression in her eyes, the one skilfully disguised as the focused gaze of a warrior ready to fight, an expression of fear? He felt confusion grow once again as he didn't find a single trace of said fear in her scent. Then what? Why retreat if she wasn't afraid? What if, instead, she was able to mask her scent?

Many emotion crushed on him all at once; he was proud of his mate -only the bravest warriors could dominate fear like she was doing- he was concerned she might actually be scared of him, he felt manly because a female like her seemed to recognize him as stronger, he wanted her to fight back to show him the opposite...

Under the watchful and knowing eyes of Kirara, Kouga extended his arm searching for some kind of contact. The instant he moved she cursed herself for not bringing along a proper weapon. She squared him with her eyes, waiting for the best moment to strike, but somehow he sensed her intentions and froze, unwilling to bother her in any way. She studied his eyes and all the emotions hidden behind them; all the aggressiveness had gone away, leaving behind concern, maybe even insecurity.

Her eyes softened and it was all the assurance he needed to finally rest his hand upon her arm. Never breaking eye contact, he began to move his hand, making it slide up and down her elbow in a slow and soothing gesture. His touch was gentle, for he was just looking for some form of contact, something to show her she didn't need to be afraid, to reassure himself she won't flee him.

"Am I scaring you, Sango?" His voice and his gaze were soft, as if he was offering to change his behavior for her sake.

Her pride rejected the concept of fear, but for the briefest moment she felt like telling him he had actually put her on alert, wishing for him to comfort her and say it had been just a misunderstanding. But she was a warrior, and as a warrior she knew better than show her weakness to an enemy, even when she wanted nothing more than snuggle into his arms.

It was taking her some seconds to find the best answer, something that could make him understand how ominous his figure had been just a moment before _and_ to conceal any weakness on her part, but patience had never been one of Kouga's virtues.

"I won't hurt you." He whispered, lifting his hand to skim over her cheek and encircling her with the other arm. Sango froze, unable to avert her gaze from his meaningful one; she didn't move even when he brought his face closer to hers, so close that it touched her cheek. He remained in the same position for a little while, softly brushing his nose against her velvety skin, then embraced her tightly with both arms, shrinking to nothing the distance between their bodies.

She inhaled sharply; the fear for her safety had been replaced by a new one, mixed with trepidation, that made her aware of every single movement, breath or heartbeat happening between the two of them. Her whole world had been reduced to his body and the sensations it was awakening: the strong need to let go and return the embrace, the overwhelming qualms it was too fast, too new and too good to be right.

Her scent was giving away her slow acceptance of his closeness but he could tell there was something holding her back because her body was still rigid and stiff and her breath, tickling his shoulder, was coming out in a slow and controlled rhythm. He nuzzled her neck to smell her better and, hoping to make her relax, began rubbing his hands up and down her back.

Despite her good sense, Sango closed her eyes and pressed her face against his shoulder, all the resolve to keep her composure failing miserably against the sparkles his hands were sending through her back. He knew, at that point, she needed just a little push to surrender to him.

In her mind, Sango was cursing herself. She was losing her battle of will against the primal call Kouga represented and she knew, but felt helpless. Right as she was -tightly wrapped in his arms, strongly assaulted by his masculine scent and delectably caressed by his hands- she didn't have the strength to do anything. And while her rational part pointed out a thousand reasons for it to be wrong, the rest of her screamed at rationality to go to hell.

Kouga moved his face a little upward, grazing her neck with his nose and lips, the touch so light it gave her goosebumps. When his mouth leveled her ear, Kouga let a hot breath caress it. She swallowed loudly, and he knew it was time to take what was righteously his.

With his nose, he slowly traced the contours of her ear, slightly brushing their cheeks together; his eyes were closed, to enhance the senses of smell and touch. He had been dying to be this close to her since last time they met and, at the moment, he just wanted to let the scent and the shape of her body invade his senses completely.

"Sango..." He said huskily, paying attention to every little reaction.

"_My_ beautiful Sango..."

The time slowed down, and Sango swallowed hard when the meaning of his words, what she _wanted_ them to mean, reached the depth of her soul. The possessiveness permeating his words didn't go unnoticed and, suddenly, she realized that she wasn't just a means to get to Kagome; somehow, it looked like the younger girl had just disappeared from his thoughts.

And as this revelation hit her, she also understood the deep implications of his gestures. With his embrace, he wasn't just asking forgiveness for scaring her, he wasn't only holding her because he liked her.

No. He was a Youkai -one from a rather primitive tribe, should be added... He wasn't just hoping for her to reciprocate, he was _demanding_ her to give herself to him, without doubts and without restraints. It was no longer a game, it wasn't as trivial as living out her fantasies in a nightly escapade and then return to her normal life.

Her mind blanked out for a moment, the last thought feeling like an icy shower to her. Was she really considering this an 'escapade'? Just how far was she ready to go, how much was she willing to give? She had never considered herself a woman of loose morals, nor had she been raised as one; to do something like that...

Though -she had to admit- she had fantasized about being held, being kissed, maybe even being touched by him, but not even in her fantasies she had given herself to him completely. Or, to say things as they were, she had been afraid her scent could change enough for InuYasha to understand what she was thinking -and then ask about it.

But that didn't change the fact that the body surrounding hers was real, and what he wanted to do had always held a deep meaning to her. She wasn't ready to be with a man just because of carnal desire -she'd never be ready- and a serious commitment was out of question, since she had learned about his feelings... When? A handful of seconds before? And were them feelings at all? How did those things work among Yorozoku? How long was their 'love' supposed to last?

Overwhelmed by a multitude of questions, Sango felt the urge to detach from him and raised her hands against his hips, preparing to push him away.

He mistook it for a silent request to go ahead and, feeling encouraged, teased the backside of her ear with his tongue, pulling it into his mouth. Wet and hot lips curled around it and he gently sucked, in a gesture she felt was too erotic to withstand.

She jerked her head away, trying to no avail to wiggle out of his grasp. Kouga stared at her, wondering what he could have done wrong. He searched his memory for some kind of rituals humans performed to mate and that he had missed, but nothing came to his mind. In her face was a mix of lust and terror, her wide open eyes begging him to go away, her flushed cheeks telling him how much she wanted him. And her scent, always delicious, was exciting as never before.

"Ko-Kouga..." Sango stammered, so nervous that her lips were almost trembling. Shaking her head, she continued, "I... W-we... Can't... No-not yet..."

Without so much of a hint of releasing her, he continued to stare into her eyes, trying to decipher the emotions running beneath her expression and her body language, at the moment a complete mystery to him.

His piercing gaze was too much to bear and Sango turned her face to the side, lowering her eyes. After so many days spent thinking about him, she still couldn't tell how much of it come from her heart and how much from her body's desires.

Watching her profile as she tried to deprive him of the sight of her face, he caught a movement beyond her shoulders that he would have gladly done without.

"Please, let go." Sango whispered, sounding too miserable for her own liking and, to her biggest surprise, he released his firm hold on her body. She was about to turn her head at him in disbelief, but before she could do it he had already scooped her up in his arms; she let out a surprised yelp, but he was already running toward the forest, carrying her.

- - -

When InuYasha had seen Sango get up to follow Kirara, he had paid it no mind; they were both big girls -or Youkai- after all. When he had smelled Kouga going around in the village and had gone outside to chase him away from Kagome, his companion had already left his mind. So, when he had seen the whole exchange between them he had been dumbfounded, to say the least, and had stared at them wide-eyed the whole time, unable to move.

Only after he realized he was into Kouga's line of sight InuYasha had been able to return to reality and hide himself. He, though, regretted it the moment he did it: Kouga's sight, as well as his own and that of all Youkai and animals that lived of what they could hunt, was strongly attuned in perceiving movements, and his dash had surely caught the wolf's attention. Thing that, ironically enough, his brightly colored appearance probably wouldn't have.

Before InuYasha could decide to poke out his head, he heard Sango's little cry. When he looked at the place Sango and Kouga had been standing, the only one left was Kirara, changing into her bigger form to follow them. It was at that point that he saw Kouga running away holding Sango.

Despite himself, who had never been curious about other's people private affairs, InuYasha took off after the two; after all, Sango was part of his group and, judging from the way she had tried to free herself from Kouga, she might be unwilling to go with him.

'Or maybe not.' he thought when his nose caught the scent of Sango's arousal. Which, much to his dismay, he found rather tantalizing. For once, he was grateful that Kouga's smell was there as well, or Sango's one could have had unwanted effects on him, and he had already too problems with 'just' two females in his life to even consider a third one.

- - -

"What do you think are doing?!" Sango yelled in Kouga's ear, mostly to overcome the wind's noise.

"Taking you away from unwelcome eyes!" He answered, squeezing shut an eye as if it could avoid the pain in his ear.

"Unwel- WHAT?!" She asked, embarrassed by the realization that someone could have seen them.

"Mutt-face was spying on us. I don't want anyone looking at _my_ woman." He stated. "Especially him."

Hearing his words and the way he said them, Sango felt all her doubts return and hid her face in her hands, letting out a frustrated groan. She didn't feel comfortable in the position she was in, both emotionally and physically, but she stopped squirming around because she knew if she asked him to put her down he would ignore her words and if she tried to convince him by force they might both fall and get hurt.

Since she could do nothing else, she hid her face against his chest and decided to enjoy, secretly, the feeling of his body and of the wind running wildly through her hair.

"Remove your hands." He said, gently enough to sound as a request and not as a command.

Sango only spread her fingers enough to watch at him, but it was enough for him to see the questions behind her eyes.

"Whatever you're ashamed of, don't be." He said resolutely. Soon, anybody would know she was his and guess what they, as a couple, would be doing; there was no point in hiding it or in being embarrassed about it. Plus, his pride wouldn't allow her to be ashamed of him in any way.

"What are you talking about? It's you the one that ran away!" She questioned, a little angrily.

Kouga smiled, noticing how she had removed her hands from her face. She could deny it, she could act gentle and collected, but deep inside she was as wild and proud as he was. He delayed the answer for a moment, until he decided they were far enough from the village -and from any possible spectator- and abruptly stopped, setting Sango on her feet with her back against a tree.

Even though its trunk prevented her fall, it still made her feel cornered.

"Let's get this straight," He said, looking her squarely in the eyes, "I'm not ashamed to be seen with you. In fact, I'm proud you accepted me as your mate."

"I didn't--" Her protests were silenced by a finger he put on her lips. He approached her body and placed his hand beside her shoulder, still giving her some space to avoid scaring her.

"But I don't want anyone else to enjoy the sight of your body, its scent, its feeling under the hands, the taste of your skin, the sound of your moans..." Kouga said, in a voice increasingly low. "All those things will be _mine_..." He removed his finger, searching her eyes for any kind of reaction.

Sango didn't know if it were his words, his self-confidence bordering on arrogance, the hungry look in his eyes, the hand lifting her face, his masculine scent, the pleasant presence of his body or some kind of spell he must have cast upon her, but the only thing she managed to do was stare at him, unsure of her own desires.

"..._Only_ mine." He finished, caressing her chin with his thumb.

Sango felt all her protests fade away; somewhere in the back of her mind she tried to remember if a Youkai could affect a human's judgment and make her act like a Yorozoku than a human but it soon lose its relevance. Everything became clearer by the moment as she pushed aside every foreign thought and began to concentrate on him. Her eyes went back and forth from his eyes to his lips and, for once, the awareness of what would happen next didn't scare her.

He finally closed his eyes, lowering his head. Just a second, a single breath and...

Their lips met.

From the beginning, he put all himself in the kiss, pressing and brushing their lips together almost roughly, but she didn't protest nor back away; instead, he felt her hands on his hips, trying to pull him closer. Kouga licked her lips and she finally began to return the kiss with a passion matching his own.

His hand abandoned her face to trace her neck and then slide down her back, passing below her hair, until it rested at her waist; it took a great effort from his part to stop there, but before touching any of her roundnesses he wanted to be sure she was ready.

Sango decided it was time to take the initiative and lifted her arms around his neck; one hand reached the fur band around his head, pulling him closer, the other's fingertips grazed the bare skin of his shoulders, eliciting a moan from him. She responded opening her lips slightly.

Whether the act had second meanings or not -he didn't know and didn't care- Kouga slid his tongue into her mouth, caressing the inside of her upper lip. She inhaled deeply at the new sensation, the delicate touch sending a shiver of pleasure down her spine. Soon, a sound resembling a purr came from her throat.

Every moment more confident, Sango licked his lower lip with the tip of her tongue, and that was Kouga's breakdown. Throwing all cautions to the wind, he licked and caressed her tongue, enjoying its warmth and his taste. At the same time, he pulled her body closer and held her tightly against himself. Kouga pressed the physical evidence of his appreciation against her lower abdomen, but her lack of response made him wonder if somehow she had failed to understand what it was and that she was the reason of its stiffness.

He leaned forward, making her slightly arch her back to follow him. When she gave herself willingly into whatever movement he wanted to do and moaned at the increased contact of their bodies, they both realized he was in a position of utter dominance above her.

In spite of her being inexperienced, Sango still understood clearly the hidden message he was conveying with his kiss and with his body language; it was something primal and absolute, that allowed no uncertainties nor holding back, a need that came straight from his deepest instincts and crossed his whole being:

_You. Belong. To me._

Putting aside right and wrong, keeping for later thoughts of what was appropriate and what not, she accepted what his attentions without restraint. She _wanted_ to be his. She wanted _him_ to be _hers_. And to make sure he understood the last part, she pulled him down to deepen the kiss.

Her acceptance and sudden boldness aroused him even more and, finally, he let his hands travel down to grab her well-shaped buttocks.

Surprised, Sango opened her eyes wide and gasped. He was going too far, she knew she had to stop him soon because later would be too hard for both of them, but the feeling of his hands on her body was to good to make him stop, so she forced herself to believe he wouldn't do anything more. A pitiful lie, and she was the first to know it.

His hands ran up and down her bottom, pushing her forward. When the pressure between their groins was enough, Kouga began to rub himself against her intimacy and Sango became aware, at last, of the thing pressing against her lower parts. What it was was clearly obvious and she was assaulted by contrasting sensations of excitement, trepidation and uncertainty until, against her judgment, her eyes shut themselves on their own accord.

Not even in her dreams Sango had ever felt so good, he seemed to know exactly what would make her body ache for more. She cursed her own lack of self-control, her body shouldn't be allowed to defy her like that: how could she ask Kouga to stop when her desire was so thick in the air that she herself could smell it? She didn't even want to imagine how strong the same scent could be for his Youkai senses.

She emitted a sound halfway between a pleased moan and a groan of disappointment. She didn't want all that to end. Why couldn't he just know when to stop?

Mislead by his self-confidence and the obvious message of her scent, he took the sound as an encouragement to go ahead. He began to lift the skirt of her kimono, savoring the moment when his hands would slide over her sex and her legs would be wrapped around his waist, but he felt her hands on his shoulders, trying to push him away. Guessing, wrongly, that she was just asking for some air, he released her mouth and buried his head against her neck, kissing, licking, sucking and grazing at it with his teeth.

"S-Stop." She whispered, exerting all of her willpower to ask for something she absolutely didn't want.

Kouga quickly ignored her request. Instead, he moved his right hand to her chest, inserting it inside her kimono, and started to caress her breast; if she wasn't sure she wanted him, he'd just convince her by showing her what she was going to give up. It was how thing worked within those of his kind: she was supposed to resist, he was supposed to seduce her.

"Kouga!" It was a strangled sound that came from her mouth as she grabbed his hand to keep it still. His fingers brushing on her nipple felt even better than his hands on her buttock, and it was even more difficult to resist them.

He growled. A low, menacing sound to make her understand who was the one in control. Despite the sound, though, he wasn't angry for her attempts to stop him; on the contrary, he was loving every moment of it. She was acting exactly as he would have expected from a female Yorozoku. Could his Sango be any more perfect?

Unable to stroke her breast, he settled instead for squeezing it. His mouth moved to her jaw and he began to nibble it, and Sango had to hold her breath to suppress another moan. She grasped the few survivor bits of her good sense to push him away, but only managed to detach his mouth from her face.

"Stop." She said, breathless and with her eyes still closed, slipping her arms between their chests to keep him away and to immobilize the hand inside her clothes.

Kouga stared at her, unsure if he had to take her request seriously or not. There was no way he could have mistaken her scent's message, but her face was so serious that he soon understood her rejection wasn't just a part of the mating ritual. Something was bothering her and, on instinct, he fondled her hips with his free hand trying to make her feel comfortable.

When she felt his soothing gesture, she slowly released his other hand; as she expected, it went to her left side and mirrored the action of its twin. Tentatively, she opened her eyes. The two of them stared at each other, her expression begging him to understand why she wanted to stop, his eyes begging her to follow her body and not her brain.

"Sango..." He whispered after awhile; he didn't know exactly what he could or wanted to say, but he knew he had to say something when her only answer was to bit her lower lip and look away. Too many questions were flooding his mind all at once -What's bothering you? Why are you holding back? Are you hurt? Are you afraid I'll hurt you? Are you afraid of me? Are you afraid you won't be enough? Do you think _I_ won't be enough? Do you think you're just a replacement, a second choice? Are you embarrassed because of mutt-face seeing us? ...

"Don't you... Want me?" Was all he managed to put together.

"No-" 'It's not it.' she wanted to say, but the lump in her throat interrupted her. Still avoiding his eyes, she missed his shocked and almost pleading expression. She licked her lips nervously and took a deep breathe, trying to articulate her thoughts, but he didn't gave her the time.

"Liar." He said, in a voice devoid of any anger or accusation, once he had gotten over his shock.

Taken by surprise by his words and his calm tone, Sango suddenly turned to face him. When he knew he had her attention, Kouga slowly knelt in front of her, trailing his hands down her legs. The expression on his face, those eyes that held the strong determination of a man who had something to prove, made her resolve fade in a frown of confusion and fear as she saw his face level with her femininity, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I can smell your lust, Sango." He buried his face against her crotch and inhaled noisily to emphasize his words. One hand sneaked down her kimono and caressed sensually the inside of a thigh.

"You can't deny you want to be mine." He continued in a rough voice, muffled by her clothes.

Sango perceived the danger. This time a small distance wasn't going to stop him, not when he was actually right. Wherever she found the resolve, or whatever possessed her to do what she did next, was unknown even to her.

- - -

From behind some bushes, InuYasha and Kirara were watching everything. They could also hear and _smell_ everything. While Kirara was happy for her companion, knowing it was the best thing for her, InuYasha was fighting the need to touch his private parts.

'That stupid wolf, he isn't even good enough to cover Sango's scent with his own.' InuYasha was thinking. If Kouga's smell had been stronger, probably now he wouldn't be so aroused. He hadn't realized before how much his body needed to relieve some tension, maybe it was time for him to finally chose between Kagome and Kikyou, but he really didn't want to. Was it his fault that Inu-Youkai weren't monogamous to begin with?

The moment Kouga crouched down to smell Sango, both Kirara and InuYasha took for granted the two would be mating soon -Sango's scent was unmistakable, as well as Kouga's intentions- therefore it was a shock for both of them to see, a split second later, Sango retreat from Kouga just enough to kneel him in the head, in a lightning move that would put to shame said Youkai's speed. The strength of her kick was enough to make Kouga roll over once and land on his back, visibly confused by the blow.

At that point, InuYasha decided to head back. Soon, Sango would return to their temporary accommodation and he needed to be there when she arrived, or else she could suspect he had been spying on them. Protesting with himself because he wasn't 'spying', but watching out for one of his friends, InuYasha made a sign to Kirara and went away. The Youkai remained there, waiting for the right moment to take Sango back.

- - -

Kouga opened his eyes slowly, then quickly squeezed them shut; his head was hurting and his ear ringing. He brought an hand to his temple, groaning in pain as he slowly massaged the left side of his head. After a while, he tried to open his eyes again and assess the situation. He blinked; why was he staring at the sky?

"Are you okay?"

Kouga turned his head to the voice and tried to focus on the figure kneeling beside him. "Sango." He said, as if he was surprised to find her with him. Looking at her, though, his memory quickly returned and surprise left its place to anger.

"Why the hell did you hit me?" He said -and not screamed- only because his ear hurt. One hand protecting it, he sat up so abruptly that his head spun. He must have wobbled, because he felt Sango's hand on his shoulder, steading him.

Sango felt guilty for what she had done to him, but to detach him from her before things could get out of hand again brute force was the only resource. Talking would be pointless: he would not listen and she would not sound convincing. But hurt him wasn't something she had planned or wanted to do; had she knew he was so out of guard, she wouldn't have hit so strongly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so forceful." She said, concern evident in her voice. "Does it hurt too much?"

Kouga squared her as if she had grown a second head. "Of course it hurt, what do you think?" He said, rather brusquely. He turned away from her, testing if he could let go of his ear without feeling too much pain. He never noticed the hand sliding down his back, as if suddenly feeling unworthy to touch him.

Ashamed for hurting him as if she hadn't given him certain signs, she remained silent for a while, not really knowing what to say. She didn't want to take all the blame -he wasn't innocent and should have stopped once she had asked so- but a part of her was afraid she had reacted far too encouragingly.

"I'm sorry." She whispered at last, to him but also to herself. She was a warrior, she should have some sort of control on her body and her emotions, but she felt like a slut.

He turned again to look at her, but she was facing down, her bangs hiding her eyes. He contemplated her form for a while, wondering why she was so adamantly pushing him away when she wanted him and no other male had any right on her. Had it something to do with her being human? Maybe mating her wasn't such a good idea after all...

He immediately discarded the thought. She was perfect, period. They just got off on the wrong foot; belonging to different species, it was inevitable there would be some incomprehension.

He sighed. He had never been very good with words but, apparently, he was the one that had to break the silence. He faced ahead, with his legs bent and slightly apart, and casually rested his arms on them.

"Sango?" She said nothing, but he noticed she had lifted her head to look at him; he decided it had to be enough.

"Why did you kick me away?" He asked calmly.

"I-" Sango began, just to stop herself. How could she explain her reasons and make them sound convincing -or at least logical- when she was the first one to doubt them?

"I mean..." He continued, maybe to help her to articulate, maybe because he wanted an answer as soon as possible. "You' want me, I can tell. It's not just your scent... Your lips, your hands, your tongue... All your body was _begging_ me to take you. Face it, Sango. You want to mate with me, at least as much as I want it." He turned to her, waiting for her to acknowledge the obviousness of her reactions.

Sango's eyes were open wide and her cheeks red as cherries. She couldn't deny her attraction for him, but did he really need to be that blunt about it? She turned her head, drawing a deep breath to take some time and gain courage.

"Look at me, Sango." Kouga demanded softly, almost pleading. He grabbed her chin gently and made her face him, but her eyes continued to avoid him.

"It's not so simple." She said. When he said nothing for a while, she decided to shift her eyes on him and Kouga, finally, spoke.

"It's the simplest thing in the world: I want you, you want me, we mate." His voice was plain -he was just stating the obvious, after all.

Embarrassment and anger made Sango's cheeks became even redder. That was what it was all about? Mating? And then? What would be of 'them' once the passion was over? How long it would take for passion to be over? Sango felt a sudden surge of pride; the man who could consider her in such a way had yet to be born. She rose to her feet, looking down on him.

"Maybe among you _beasts_ it works this way. I, though, have a brain." She said rather nastily, maybe more than she had intended, but she let indignation lead her way; it would be simpler this way, she might be able not to feel pain if she convinced herself she despised him.

Kouga stared at her, bewildered at her renewed aggressiveness. After a moment, her words finally registered in his mind. And to think he was about to volunteer to follow whatever human habit could make her more comfortable around him.

"And just what would this mean? Are you calling me an idiot because I was courting you?" He spat back as he stood up, leaving very little space between them.

"You call that courting? You take me here against my will and the moment my feet touch the ground you are all over me. In my language it's called _rape_, not courting." She gradually raised her voice.

"And in _my_ language to rape a woman she must be unwilling, not kissing back."

"A kiss doesn't give you the right to do more."

"And what about your moans?" He plastered a satisfied grin on his face, he was cornering her.

"Uh..." She blinked, but regained her senses soon. "T-They were just part of the kiss."

"You moan like that every time you kiss someone?" He said smugly, beginning to think he could have a second chance with Sango if he got her to admit what she wanted.

"I don't go around kissing the first one I meet! Who do you think I am?"

"Does it means I'm special?" He practically purred.

"It- It means nothing!"

"'Nothing' _doesn't have_ the scent of a female in heat." He said, approaching her.

"WHAT?!" She shouted, her blood-shoot eyes meaning sure death, but he totally ignored it.

"A very sexy female, indeed. Especially when she's angry." He licked his lips.

She stared at him for a moment, wondering when their argument had changed into another seduction attempt from his part.

"This has noth-" She interrupted herself when he began smelling the air around them.

"HEY! What are you doing?"

"Just a minute away from me and you no longer have that scent. This must mean something I'm sure I'll like." He said, continuing to ignore her rebuts.

"It. Means. Absolutely. Nothing!" Her eyes were now dangerously narrowed and her hands curled up in fists; he was really getting on her nerves.

"What about I kiss you again and we see if that scent comes back?" He closed the distance between them, but didn't touch her.

"Kouga, I warn you: my patience is wearing thin." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, a gesture that didn't really suit her mood, and slid each hand inside the opposite sleeve.

"If you're so eager to have me kiss you, you coul-" He was interrupted by the slap Sango delivered to his face. Before he could say something, an extremely bad smell made him collapse onto the ground.

Sango did nothing to support him as he fell down. She only sighed in relief and watched the broken shell in her hand that once contained a Youkai-repellent; fortunately, earlier that day she had put some of those stinking things inside her kimono. She glanced back at Kouga, but decided to turn away and set off for the village before she could begin to feel sorry for him. She needed to focus on her anger, she had any right to: he had forcefully tried to 'mate' -as he liked to put it- with her!

Sango suppressed a sigh, stopping a few paces away from him. She wasn't being fair to Kouga. He had been insistent, yes, too forward, surely, and maybe also a bit of a fathead, but she couldn't honestly say he had been forceful. No matter how strong and trained she was, at that moment she had been unarmed against a Youkai that, she had been able to witness, was pretty strong himself; had he really wanted to be forceful, she wouldn't have gotten away totally unharmed as she had.

Anyway, that didn't mean she should compliment him, she reminded herself. It was normal not to hurt the one you're courting, he had done nothing special. On the contrary, he hadn't stopped when she had said so, and that also should be a given thing; at least it was among humans.

But again, he wasn't human; what did 'normal' mean for him?

Tired of mulling over the same thing over and over, Sango let free the sigh she had swallowed moments before. Lowering her head, she finally noticed two big eyes staring at her.

"Kirara!" She exclaimed, suddenly realizing the last time she had seen her little friend had been at the village. The Youkai raised a paw toward Kouga and meowed in a way that Sango interpreted as 'What happened to him?'.

"He was... A little too friendly." Sango said, purposefully avoiding to look at Kouga. There were other things she should have said, but she hoped the scents lingering on her would be enough for Kirara to guess what had happened. And probably she understood better than Sango herself, because she narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, as if telling her master 'It is not the whole truth.'. Sango stared back at her, until she was no longer able to held her gaze.

"Fine. _I_ wasn't able to let go. Are you happy now?" She finally admitted, both to Kirara and to herself.

The Youkai cat didn't answer and approached Kouga as much as the smell of the repellent allowed her, then looked back at Sango. When the girl's gaze shifted from her to Kouga, Kirara meowed something between a 'What are you going to do with him?' and a 'Go help him.'.

Sango bit her lower lip as she noticed how Kouga's head was bent; he would surely have a stiff neck later. Slipping past Kirara without a single word, she reached Kouga and rolled him on his back. Absentmindedly, she brushed away the remnant of the repellent's shell from his cheek while she studied his face. It was contracted in a grin due to the substance, but there was something fierce and noble in it that made it pleasant to look at him. He was... Beautiful.

She sighed again, finally acknowledging that it was plainly useless pretend she didn't feel attracted to him. Wordlessly, she slid her hands under Kouga's arms and dragged him to a nearby tree, where she arranged him into a sitting position. She produced another shell from the sleeves of her kimono, containing a concentrated essence that she always brought along together with the repellent, because it could counter its effect in case of accidental contact with Kirara.

After quickly discarding his face or the exposed part of his chest -because there was a chance his recover would be too fast and he might go after her- and his legs -it would be embarrassing to touch them after what had happened- she decided to crash the shell on his upper arm. She took aim with her hand, but then lowered it to look at his face one last time.

"I'll give you a second chance, mister." She said, knowing he couldn't hear her. "But if you rush things as you've done today, or if there's even a single thing I don't like in what you do, consider this to be over. Understood?"

Just as expected, he didn't answer. Probably saying those things to someone unconscious was like taking the coward's way, but she couldn't tell him openly; it would be too simple for him to just do what she said without really feeling it. He needed to figure it out by himself and, if he did, she'd consider it a proof of his love for her.

Without further delay, she broke the antidote's shell against the skin of his upper arm. When Kouga's nose began to twitch, reacting to the essence, she leaned toward his face.

"Do your best, Kouga." She said sincerely, then placed a chaste, sweet kiss between his lips and his nose, as a token of the opportunity she was giving him. Before he could wake up or even stir, she was already walking away.

She wasn't sure he could tell that last kiss apart from the other they had shared, she wasn't even sure he'd be able to smell it over the repellent and the antidote, but it didn't really matter. What was important was that she had given him a second chance in _her mind_ and _her heart_. As for him, whether he got her message or not, she had the feeling and the hope he would search her again.

Very, very soon.

- - -  
_**This is my harmony  
I'm in your heart again  
This is the place to live  
Where I'm alone again  
**_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
Finished 07-May-2008  
Latest revision 21-July-2008

Thanks to anybody who read the story, and thanks to those who reviewed.  
Whoever wants to review is welcome, even -I'd dare to say 'especially'- if she/he says the story needs improvements.


End file.
